Author: RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
Source link One year after wearing prison scrubs and five months on from his gory misadventure with a wine glass, Scottie Scheffler returned to more familiar behaviours on Sunday evening. For the third time in his short career, he is a major champion.But do not mistake familiar for boring. Do not confuse a five-stroke victory for an outright procession.And do not assume the 107th PGA Championship meandered though the motions to the kind of outcome that seemed so predictable once Scheffler concluded his third round with a three-shot lead.No. This was not that kind of run for home. This was…
Source link By RIATH AL-SAMARRAI Published: 16:40 EDT, 18 May 2025 | Updated: 16:46 EDT, 18 May 2025 Xander Schauffele has claimed Rory McIlroy was not alone in being forced to change his driver before the PGA Championship, suggesting that Scottie Scheffler was also trapped by the rule.McIlroy was required to replace the clubhead on his favoured weapon after random testing found it was no longer conforming.The PGA of America have since moved to dismiss any possibility of ‘intent’ by stating the issue is not uncommon due to wear and tear on equipment.Schauffele, who was left enraged when his own…
Source link After two days of gentle footsteps from journeymen, the third brought the familiar sound of big beasts stampeding towards the top of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship. None echoed louder than Scottie Scheffler.For all the discomfort he has felt with his swing this week, he stands top of the pile on 11 under par after one of those rounds that will test the optimism of the chasing pack.Not for the brilliance of his shot-making, though there was plenty of that in his 65, but more for how he endured. How he rose each time there was a…
Source link Organisers of the PGA Championship have dismissed any suggestion of ‘intent’ after it emerged Rory McIlroy’s driver failed a compliancy test prior to the tournament.The world No 2 has cut a frustrated figure all week and snubbed the media following each of his first two rounds, which were characterised by his poor play off the tee.It only came to light on Friday evening, while he was fighting to make the cut, that he had been forced into replacing the most effective club in his bag at the start of the week following testing by the US Golf Association.While…
Source link By RIATH AL-SAMARRAI Published: 16:37 EDT, 14 April 2025 | Updated: 17:02 EDT, 14 April 2025 If there was a single regret in witnessing one of the era’s greatest sporting moments, it came from knowing Rory McIlroy’s ascension arrived at the expense of a rose who upstaged every azalea at Augusta National.You could fill a book with iconic pictures from this absurd and astonishing Masters Sunday, but none will be so touching, so loaded with differing feelings, as the one showing Justin Rose hugging the guy who had just beaten him.The words of that exchange say as much…
Source link After watching Rory McIlroy emerge in green from the most chaotic and cathartic evening of his professional life, the man responsible for his mind was struggling somewhat to gain control of his own.’Wonderful,’ Dr Bob Rotella told Mail Sport a couple of hours after that final four-footer disappeared beneath the ground.’Wonderful and perfect,’ he added. ‘That was intense. It brought tears to my eyes because it was so human to want something that badly. Wonderful. And what else is there to say?’Well, quite. And quite a lot, too. There might not be a moment in the sporting year…
Source link Tyrrell Hatton threw a tantrum, tossed a ball and called his driver all manner of unspeakable things on his way out of contention at the US PGA Championship.One day, golf’s most combustible character might well get his hands on a major, but it is looking highly unlikely to come here at Quail Hollow, where a position of great promise faded dramatically in a blaze of angry words.The key point for the Englishman came at the 18th, his ninth hole of the day, when he walked on to the tee at five under par, within two of the lead…
Source link Tyrrell Hatton has been known to struggle to contain his anger during his careerHe launched into a furious tantrum during a mid-round meltdown on FridayOn the 18th hole at the PGA Championship, he fired his tee shot into a creek By RIATH AL-SAMARRAI Published: 13:56 EDT, 16 May 2025 | Updated: 14:04 EDT, 16 May 2025 Tyrrell Hatton launched into a furious tantrum during a mid-round meltdown on the second day of the PGA Championship.After firing his tee shot on the 18th hole into a creek, he embarked on an astonishing outburst, shouting: ‘You piece of s*** ****’.The flashpoint,…
Source link By RIATH AL-SAMARRAI Published: 16:23 EDT, 15 May 2025 | Updated: 16:38 EDT, 15 May 2025 Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele have raged against organizers of the PGA Championship over a controversial ‘mudball’ ruling at Quail Hollow, claiming it has left the tournament open to chance.Eyebrows were raised when the PGA of America confirmed on Wednesday evening that preferred lies would not be in play despite five inches of rain falling in North Carolina across the past week.As a consequence, Thursday’s opening round became characterized by golfers griping about playing balls coated in mud. That was most clearly…
Source link Luke Donald brought a peashooter to a gun show and proved quite brilliantly that there’s more than one way to slay a quail. How delightfully unexpected.Chances are he will soon recede to the norm, but at four under par he has already dropped plenty of putts and jaws at the PGA Championship.Remember, this is a 7,626-yard beast of a course. A bomber’s track. And let’s not forget either that Donald is 47, has failed to make a cut in 2025, and even at his best, many years ago now, he was a short hitter.But he inverted our sense…
Source link Out of the 3,000 words spoken by Rory McIlroy on Wednesday, spanning major contentment and a minor kneecapping of Bryson DeChambeau, four were sufficient to assess his state of mind at the PGA Championship.It came via a fairly off-beat question and one that had been asked of every other golfer who stepped into the media tent here at Quail Hollow.The exercise was theoretical, or rather an exploration of envy, with the intention of establishing which part of their game they would swap with a rival ahead of Thursday’s first round.There were some interesting answers – Scottie Scheffler wants…
Source link Europe take on the USA in the next edition of the Ryder Cup this September Jon Rahm, a star of Europe’s 2023 win, has struggled for form in recent times By RIATH AL-SAMARRAI Published: 17:53 EDT, 14 May 2025 | Updated: 17:53 EDT, 14 May 2025 Luke Donald has given Jon Rahm no assurances about his place on the European Ryder Cup team at a time when his big-stage performances have come into question.The Spaniard, one of the stars of the win in Rome in 2023, has finished higher than 14th only once in four majors since joining LIV 18…